INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE Seán Gallagher has moved to distance himself from Fianna Fáil's performance in government over the last four years after appearing to equivocate on the issue when questioned on the RTÉ Prime Timedebate.
Mr Gallagher said yesterday that he “abhorred” the decisions made by the previous FF-led administration and said he was disillusioned with the party’s loss of contact with its grassroots when he resigned from Fianna Fáil earlier this year.
Asked by Miriam O’Callaghan if he felt Fianna Fáil had let the country down, Mr Gallagher said that he couldn’t answer for the party.
He said the reason he was seen to hesitate when asked the question was that he was seeking to distinguish between Fianna Fáil ministers in cabinet and its ordinary rank and file members.
“I was asked to condemn Fianna Fáil and the first thing that came into my mind was the thousands of ordinary decent men and women who are the grassroots of Fianna Fáil . . . and I didn’t want to condemn them because they weren’t in government, they weren’t in cabinet.”
Asked about Dana Rosemary Scallon’s explosive statement regarding “untrue, vile and malicious” allegations regarding a family member, Mr Gallagher said he felt for her and believed the media and others should not focus on family matters in the campaign.
Mr Gallagher has also put up copies of his P60 on his website which show that he had net pay of only €11,499.93 from his company, Smarthomes Ltd, in 2009, and €12,133.32 last year. He also published his tax clearance certificate.
Labour candidate Michael D Higgins criticised media reporting of the campaign. When asked if he felt that dignity was being reflected in the coverage of the election, he replied: “It hasn’t always. There have been significant gaps in my view. It is legitimate to ask any question that is of any possible relevancy to the filling of the office with competence and dignity and honour.”
Speaking in Dundalk he added that he has found “the opening question so often in the last week or two was whose turn is it next . . . I really don’t see it like that.”
Mr Higgins said he had comforted Dana after the debate during which she made an emotional statement about “vile” allegations due to emerge about her family.
“After the show I gave her a hug and said, ‘you know, try and take it easy’.” He also said he was “very anxious that her distress would not be exploited, so when the rest of us went to the room for the press conference I quite understood why she wouldn’t want to do it”.
He said he could not judge whether it was appropriate for her to have made her statement during the debate as she did but said, “I felt for her as I do when I see anybody distressed. But with what has been in the papers and what has clearly been a very painful family dispute, one couldn’t but feel very sorry for her.”
He added that, “while she and I differ on many different things you have to have some feeling for what is obviously a very painful time for her and for her family”.
If Ms Scallon was to leave the race for the Áras “that’s a decision for herself”, he said.
The Department of Environment confirmed it is too late for a candidate to withdraw from the race as their name would remain on the ballot paper.
Even if a presidential hopeful stopped canvassing and participating in the campaign, a vote for the candidate would not be considered a spoiled vote and would be treated in the normal way, a department spokeswoman said.